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Brazil’s former president, Jair Bolsonaro, and 36 others have been charged by the police with attempting to stage a coup to keep Bolsonaro in power following his loss in the 2022 election. Already prohibited from running in 2026 due to a separate case, Bolsonaro now faces the possibility of imprisonment and further erosion of his political influence.
The federal police have sent the findings of Thursday’s indictment to Brazil’s Supreme Court, which will pass them to Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet. Gonet will decide whether to formally charge Bolsonaro and bring him to trial or dismiss the case.
Gonet faces pressure from legal colleagues to advance various investigations involving Bolsonaro, as reported by local media. Politicians speculate that if Bolsonaro goes to trial at the Supreme Court, his allies and rivals will compete to capture his voter base.
Bolsonaro told Metropoles that he was waiting for his lawyer to review the indictment, which is reportedly about 700 pages long. He vowed to fight the case, dismissing the investigation as creative.
The former president has denied any efforts to remain in office after his narrow defeat to leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2022. Bolsonaro has faced numerous legal challenges since then. The police issued a brief statement that the Supreme Court had agreed to disclose the names of all 37 indicted individuals to prevent the spread of misinformation.
Among those indicted are several former and current Bolsonaro aides, including his 2022 running mate, Gen. Walter Braga Netto; former Army commander Gen. Paulo Sérgio Nogueira de Oliveira; Valdemar Costa Neto, chairman of Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party; and long-time adviser, Gen. Augusto Heleno.
Other investigations have led to charges against Bolsonaro for allegedly smuggling diamond jewellery into Brazil without declaring them and instructing a subordinate to falsify COVID-19 vaccination records. Bolsonaro has denied these allegations.
Additionally, a separate probe found that Bolsonaro abused his authority to undermine the voting system, resulting in a ban on his running for office until 2030. Despite this, Bolsonaro has declared his intention to run in 2026, and his supporters were encouraged by Donald Trump’s recent electoral victory in the US, despite Trump’s own legal issues.
Bolsonaro’s congressional allies are working on a bill to pardon individuals involved in the January 8, 2023, riots in Brasilia, which were an attempt to keep Bolsonaro in power. Analysts speculate that the legislation could be extended to include Bolsonaro himself. However, Machado argues that passing a broad amnesty bill might be politically challenging due to recent judicial attacks and new investigative findings.
Frances Ibiefo
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